A number of methods are currently used to prepare bead-like material having a porous structure, particularly beads comprising mainly metal oxides. These methods generally consist of depositing metal salts from solution onto beads of ion exchange resins and subsequently decomposing the resin under controlled conditions to yield porous metal oxide beads. These processes are, however, not satisfactory. The ratio of acceptable bead material to the starting materials is only about 1 to 20, thus making the finished product expensive. The preparation of large diameter beads is particularly difficult.
A primary object of this invention is to provide an improved method for making porous beads comprising primarily metal oxides or composites of metal oxides and carbonaceous material.